Stages from Porto

[ofer ofer]

Hi
Can you recommend on stages from Porto?central Camino
From Porto any skipping at the beginning?as I heard it is not so nice
Which places is recommended to stay more ?

 

[trecile]

Hi
Can you recommend on stages from Porto?central Camino
From Porto any skipping at the beginning?

It's hard to say without knowing how much time you have, your fitness level, etc.

You can always consult a guide book like Brierley or the Gronze website.

 

[Gwill21]

Hi
Can you recommend on stages from Porto?central Camino
From Porto any skipping at the beginning?as I heard it is not so nice
Which places is recommended to stay more ?

Skip the first two stages on the Central route out of Porto (too much road, too many speeding cars and noise). Start at Barcelos or Barcelinhos.

 

[trecile]

Skip the first two stages on the Central route out of Porto (too much road, too many speeding cars and noise). Start at Barcelos or Barcelinhos.

Or, take the Senda Litoral from the Cathedral along the Douro River to the sea for a couple of days. Connect to the Central Route at Vila do Conde.

 

[dougfitz]

Hi
Can you recommend on stages from Porto?central Camino
From Porto any skipping at the beginning?as I heard it is not so nice
Which places is recommended to stay more ?

I walked the Central Route earlier this year, after walking from Lisbon via Fatima. I chose not to skip any sections. Certainly the stage from Porto north lacks the aesthetic appeal of the city and you don't reach the relative calm of farmland until much later in that stage. But it is where many Portuguese live and work, and I thought it would be disdainful to ignore that, and them, in my own pilgrim experience. After all, there is little of the countryside that hasn't been altered by the hands of man, as have these urban landscapes.

My target was to walk about 20 km stages, and I was largely successful in doing that. Most days I chose to book ahead, and this sometimes required more expensive accommodation than I had wanted to use in order to keep my distances manageable. If I was doing a shorter stage, and was confident I would arrive early enough to get a bed at a place that didn't take bookings, I did that, but only in a couple of places.

This was in May, and from Porto there was some evidence that there was a bed race underway to get to municipal and fraternity albergues. For example, at Ponte de Lima, there was already a substantial crowd at the municipal albergue waiting for it to open when I passed it early in the afternoon. Perhaps not enough to fill it completely, but enough to think that there didn't need to be many more pilgrims arrive to do that.

I didn't take a rest day after Porto - I had taken one there before starting on this section. There are places like Valenca/Tui, Pontevedra and Padron where there was a lot to see and where arriving early to allow for more exploring, or taking a whole day might be considered.

 

[sgbmom]

I would walk this camino again just to stay at Casa da Fernanda. Book in advance.
WhatsApp: +351 914 589 521
Email: fernandarodrigues1970@hotmail.com

 

[lt56ny]

I walked the Central Route earlier this year, after walking from Lisbon via Fatima. I chose not to skip any sections. Certainly the stage from Porto north lacks the aesthetic appeal of the city and you don't reach the relative calm of farmland until much later in that stage. But it is where many Portuguese live and work, and I thought it would be disdainful to ignore that, and them, in my own pilgrim experience. After all, there is little of the countryside that hasn't been altered by the hands of man, as have these urban landscapes.

My target was to walk about 20 km stages, and I was largely successful in doing that. Most days I chose to book ahead, and this sometimes required more expensive accommodation than I had wanted to use in order to keep my distances manageable. If I was doing a shorter stage, and was confident I would arrive early enough to get a bed at a place that didn't take bookings, I did that, but only in a couple of places.

This was in May, and from Porto there was some evidence that there was a bed race underway to get to municipal and fraternity albergues. For example, at Ponte de Lima, there was already a substantial crowd at the municipal albergue waiting for it to open when I passed it early in the afternoon. Perhaps not enough to fill it completely, but enough to think that there didn't need to be many more pilgrims arrive to do that.

I didn't take a rest day after Porto - I had taken one there before starting on this section. There are places like Valenca/Tui, Pontevedra and Padron where there was a lot to see and where arriving early to allow for more exploring, or taking a whole day might be considered.

I would agree except that Ponte de Lima has a special place in my heart and I would recommend staying there. If you can get there early or even spend a rest day it is well worth it. When I arrived there in mid October of 2017 there were a line of backpacks waiting to find a bed. Sat across the street and got to know some Pilgrims from Poland. Great day.

 

[trecile]

I would walk this camino again just to stay at Casa da Fernanda. Book in advance.
WhatsApp: +351 914 589 521
Email: fernandarodrigues1970@hotmail.com

Fernanda is not on WhatsApp, but you can use that number to call her.

 

[dougfitz]

I would agree except that Ponte de Lima has a special place in my heart and I would recommend staying there. If you can get there early or even spend a rest day it is well worth it. When I arrived there in mid October of 2017 there were a line of backpacks waiting to find a bed. Sat across the street and got to know some Pilgrims from Poland. Great day.

To be clear, the municipal at Ponte de Lima was an example of where I thought there might have been a bed race going on. I wasn't suggesting one shouldn't stay there. I stayed just outside of the town, after taking a longer break on the south side of the river and enjoying the company of fellow pilgrims. It was a delightful day.

 

[lt56ny]

To be clear, the municipal at Ponte de Lima was an example of where I thought there might have been a bed race going on. I wasn't suggesting one shouldn't stay there. I stayed just outside of the town, after taking a longer break on the south side of the river and enjoying the company of fellow pilgrims. It was a delightful day.

I know you weren't saying that at all. That is why I included in my comment that there was a pretty long line of backpacks sitting in front of the albergue when I arrived. Sitting by that river is wonderful to be sure.